Abstract
In order to study the effect of stress changes on cell adhesion, HUVEC, and MCF-7 cells were treated with simulated microgravity effect (SMG) and overloading (OL). Methods: Rotating Wall Vessel (2D-RWVS) bioreactor was used to create different culture conditions. In addition, the alteration of cell adhesion states, adhesion proteins, and relating factors of adhesion molecules under these two conditions were detected using cell adhesion assay, immunofluorescence, western blot, and qRT-PCR technology. Results: The results showed that the adhesion of cells decreased under SMG, while increased under OL. The expressions of integrin β1, paxillin, and E-cadherin under SMG condition were down-regulated as compared to that of the control group showing a time-dependent pattern of the decreasing. However, under OL condition, the expressions of adhesion proteins were up-regulated as compared to that of the control group, with a time-dependent pattern of increasing. EMT transcription factors Snail, twist, and ZEB1 were up-regulated under SMG while down-regulated under OL. Conclusion: Collectively our results indicated that cells could respond to stress changes to regulate the expressions of adhesion proteins and adapt their adhesion state to the altered mechanical environment. The altered cell adhesion in response to the mechanical stress may involve the changed expression of EMT-inducing factors, Snail, Twist, and ZEB1under the SMG/OL conditions.
Highlights
The space environment has the characteristic of high vacuum, microgravity, heavy radiation, changing magnetic field, extreme temperature, and other conditions, which will damage the organisms entering it
We found that the mechanical overloading and simulated microgravity effect have a significant impact on the adhesion of HUVEC and MCF-7 cells
Our results showed that paxillin decreased while HUVEC and MCF-7 cells were treated in simulated microgravity effect (SMG) condition, while up-regulated under overloading condition from the time point of 24 h to 72 h
Summary
The space environment has the characteristic of high vacuum, microgravity, heavy radiation, changing magnetic field, extreme temperature, and other conditions, which will damage the organisms entering it. As a calcium-dependent transmembrane glycoprotein, E-cadherin mediates and maintains the formation of adherence junctions between neighboring homologous cells. The intracellular part of E-cadherin can connect with the actin cytoskeleton through p120-catenin and β-catenin [17] This adherence junction connects adjacent cells together to maintain morphology and polarity of epithelial cells and participate in signal transduction between and within cells [18,19]. We found that mechanical stress can induce the change of expression of adhesion proteins, which are consistent with the alteration of cell adhesion. To address the mechanism of the altered expression of E-cadherin in SMG or OL conditions, the RNA expressions of Snail, Twist and ZEB1 were determined by qRT-PCR after the simulated microgravity effect or overloading treatments. Twist, and ZEB1 are involved in the down/up-regulation of E-cadherin during the SMG/OL
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